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[[folder:L]]* LadyAndKnight: This is one of the traditional fantasy tropes the series loves to {{deconstruct}}.** The beautiful Daenerys Targaryen is served by the valiant Ser Jorah Mormont, but for the first half of the first season, he is also TheMole. Later, Daenerys receives a second, non-romantic knight when [[spoiler:Ser Barristan Selmy]] arrives to join her Queensguard.** Handsome and gentle King Renly Baratheon is guarded by two highly-skilled warriors: Brienne of Tarth (a non-knight gender inversion) and Ser Loras Tyrell (a romantic same-sex variation).** Brienne goes on to serve the gracious Lady Catelyn Stark (a non-romantic same-sex variation), and, in that capacity, serves as both guardian and DamselInDistress to the [[spoiler:crippled knight Jaime Lannister and finally, swears herself to Catelyn's daughter Lady Sansa Stark, who is in dire need of protection]].** The beautiful maiden Sansa Stark starts off dreaming of being served by a noble knight, but instead is physically and mentally abused by her {{JerkAss}} prince and his knights. Several genuine knightly protectors do end up serving her, although they're far from the ideal she initially envisioned, with the disfigured anti-knight Sandor Clegane, drunken fool Dontos Hollard and [[spoiler:finally the female, not-technically-knighted but truly honourable Brienne of Tarth.]]* LadyLooksLikeADude: Jaime thinks Brienne is far too masculine-looking for a woman. She wears short hair, masculine clothing, and even bows rather than curtsies. * LadyMacbeth: ** Cersei Lannister is behind some of Robert and Jaime's callous or outright evil decisions.** Loras provides a rare male example when he suggests Renly should be king instead of his brothers and nephews with the help of Highgarden. * TheLadysFavour: ** Loras giving Sansa a rose before his joust appears to be a gender inversion until he makes eyes at his secret lover, Renly, who is sitting behind her.** Gender-flipped when Sam gives Gilly his mother's thimble, his sole keepsake from his former life before he joined the Night's Watch.* LampshadeHanging: As the TortureTechnician said to the victim: "If you think [[ColdBloodedTorture this]] has a happy ending, [[DidYouActuallyBelieve you haven't been paying attention.]]"* LargeHam:** The delightful Syrio Forel combines this with StrangeSyntaxSpeaker to give Arya lessons in both fencing and [[ChewingTheScenery scenery-chewing]].** Joffrey and Viserys are deliberately played quite hammily to illustrate their emotional instability and inflated self-importance. Rather than being played for laughs, Viserys being over-dramatic underscores how pathetic he truly is, and Joffrey being a BoisterousWeakling makes him dangerously capricious as king.** Drogo channels the Maori ''haka'' dance during his RousingSpeech proclaiming a RoaringRampageOfRevenge for the assassination attempt on Daenerys.** Daenerys herself loves to ham it out with an intimidating speech whenever she has the chance, always including her [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard string of titles]] ('I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen...'). Whether she's in any position to make good on her threats varies greatly. ** King Robert Baratheon nearly scrapes the castle walls clean while arguing with Ned about Daenerys' assassination.** Greatjon Umber is a prime cut of Northern ham able to laugh off losing two fingers to a direwolf.** Melisandre's hammy prayers to the Lord of Light enhance her creepy HotWitch persona.** Boisterous barbarians like Tormund Giantsbane and Shagga son of Dolf.** Roy Dotrice's OneSceneWonder performance as Pyromancer Hallyne does credit to his equally hammy readings of the ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' audiobooks.** [[spoiler:Oberyn Martell]] hams it up during a duel partially to throw his opponent off.* LaResistance: Tywin's occupation of the Riverlands is hampered by the "Brotherhood without Banners," a group unseen until the third season.* LastChanceToQuit: The ambassador of the Slaver City of Yunkai offers Daenerys Stormborn the ships she needs to sail her army to Westeros (one of them filled with gold) if she leaves Slaver's Bay. She makes him a different offer: his life, on the condition that the Masters abolish slavery.* LastMinuteBabyNaming: {{Justified}} in the case of Gilly's son, since she had every reason to believe he would be given to the White Walkers within days anyway.* LastSecondWordSwap: Roose Bolton to [[spoiler:Jaime Lannister]].-->"I would have thought you'd learnt not to overplay your... [[AnArmAndALeg position]]."* LastStand: [[spoiler:Yoren]] refuses to surrender his charges even in the face of certain death.** In the backstory of Robert's Rebellion, the Kingsguard at the Tower of Joy was the LastStand of the Targaryen forces who refused to surrender. Ned Stark managed to slay them [[spoiler:and then found out they were protecting Rhaegar Targaryen's last surviving son.]]* LateArrivalSpoiler:** You'd be hard-pressed when discussing the show with fans who don't bring up the dragons. Their arrival at the end of the first season is perhaps one of the most pivotal scenes in the series.** Ned Stark's death was a huge twist and shock. But, at this point, it's not even considered a spoiler. ** The Lannister's {{Twincest}} was a big twist at the end of the first episode. But now it's entered pop culture and is well known even by people who have no interest in the show.* TheLeader: ** Tywin Lannister and Robb Stark are both a Type I.** Tyrion Lannister is also a Type I, but manages to throw in some Type IV during the Battle of the Blackwater.** King Robert was a Type IV, but proved much better at warfare than governance.** Renly Baratheon is a Type IV. His charismatic personality wins him the support of the Tyrells, giving him the largest army. Renly also uses diplomacy to diffuse the tension between Catelyn and his two overprotective Kingsguards.** Stannis Baratheon is a Type II. He is the most levelheaded and straightforward leader, and often relies on his advisors [[HotWitch Melisandre]] and [[OnlySaneMan Davos]] for council.** Daenerys is a Type IV who binds her followers together by their personal devotion to her as a dragon-birthing slave-liberator. The team's goals are her goals.* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:** Ramsay Snow does it.-->"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."** Bran does it as well in the Season 6 teaser:-->"[[OvertookTheManga They have no idea what's going to happen.]]"** From "Stormborn":-->'''Ebrose:''' I'm not writing ''[[OverlyLongTitle A Chronicle of the Wars Following the Death of King Robert I]]'' so it can sit on a shelf unread!\\''({{beat}})''\\'''Ebrose:''' What? You don't like the title? What would ''you'' call it, then?\\'''Sam:''' Possibly something a bit more...poetic?\\'''Ebrose:''' We're not poets, Tarly!* LeaveNoSurvivors: After House Bolton wins the battle against Stannis' forces outside of Winterfel, Ramsay Bolton kills the last wounded enemy soldier who was about to surrender.-->'''Ramsay:''' [[ExactWords I accept your surrender.]]* LectureAsExposition: ** Maester Luwin teaches Bran, and the audience, about the Houses of Westeros.** Sansa gets quizzed by her septa about the history of the Seven Kingdoms.* LeeroyJenkins:** The poor wildling who tried to charge [[spoiler:Stannis]].** Jon Snow charges the entire Bolton force after [[spoiler:Ramsay shoots and kills Jon's brother [[RelativeButton Rickon]]]].* LegendFadesToMyth: The White Walkers. As exemplified in the Histories & Lore videos, they've passed out of common knowledge. Tywin Lannister dismisses the White Walkers as a fairy tale and even Lord Eddard Stark does not believe they have returned (though he seems to believe they had existed). Tyrion also mocks the notion of "snarks and grumpkins" beyond the Wall. * TheLegendOfChekhov: It becomes pretty obvious what Bran's dreams really are when Maester Luwin tells Bran that sure, there are ''stories'' about people who can form a [[BondCreature spiritual link with animals]], but they aren't true and would be [[TheMagicGoesAway long gone]] even if they were.* {{Leitmotif}}: The show has enough to have [[Leitmotif/GameOfThrones its own page]].* LegionOfLostSouls: The Night's Watch.* LibertyOverProsperity: Ygritte admits the wildlings have poorer industry and weapons than the rest of Westeros, but they are free.* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland** A very dark version of this trope is presented when Jaime advises Brienne to think of Renly when her would-be rapists have their way with her, knowing she will be killed if she resists.** This also occurs when Queen Margaery tells the High Sparrow that she hasn't been in the mood to "share the marriage bed" with King Tommen, and the High Sparrow retorts that a wife doesn't need to be in the mood in order for her husband to impregnate her.* LifeDeathJuxtaposition:** R'hllor and the Great Other have a fire-and-ice and life-and-death dichotomy.** Right as Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is killed, the scene immediately cuts to her brother Bran waking up from his coma. Their family has a [[AnimalMotif wolf theme]], meaning that one wolf dies as another wakes from a death-like slumber.* LightIsNotGood: ** The "White Walkers."** Melisandre is adamant that the Lord of Light ''is'' good, but her propensity for ominous threats, shadow magic, and burning people alive makes her quite malevolent.* LighterAndSofter: While the show is often DarkerAndEdgier than the books, there are also times when it pales before them.** Arya witnesses far more carnage in the Riverlands, suffers more personal degradation, and kills more people in combat as well as in cold blood in the books.** The young characters are all aged up in part so that all this sex and violence isn't happening to even younger characters.** Bodily mutilations are less pronounced for practical reasons. For example, the Hound's scars are less grotesque, and Tyrion and Rorge both keep their noses in the series. This is Lampshaded in "Valar Dohaeris," where there were rumors that Tyrion had lost his nose during the Battle of Blackwater.** Some of the murders committed or ordered by characters the showrunners wish to keep more sympathetic are omitted or at least given a veneer of self-defense.** While certain villains such as Ramsay are not given anything resembling a AdaptationalHeroism treatment, their actions and traits are somewhat scaled down. Ramsay's HuntingTheMostDangerousGame for example, while extremely disturbing on the show, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil is still particularly more]] [[FlayingAlive gruesome in the novels]]. The other changes is that Ramsay has AdaptationalAttractiveness and engages in consensual relationships with women, some of whom become MonsterFangirl and he sends them on hunts when he gets bored of them, whereas in the books, all his victims were innocent women.** A number of characters receive AdaptationalHeroism, removing some of their more villainous characteristics or actions and making them more sympathetic. Examples include Tywin, Tyrion, Renly and Sandor. * ALighterShadeOfGrey: Despite the series' overwhelming BlackAndGrayMorality, characters like the Starks, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen are portrayed sympathetically despite their more heinous actions.* LightningBruiser: Sandor Clegane and Brienne of Tarth.* LipstickAndLoadMontage: The finale of season 6 opens with assorted characters getting dressed in preparation for [[spoiler:the trial of Loras Tyrell and Cersei Lannister]] with a sharp contrast between the elaborate clothes of the nobility and the old sack worn by the High Sparrow. The montage lingers on Cersei for longer than the others as she is fitted in a new [[DarkIsEvil black]] [[VillainousFashionSense leather and chains]] number because [[spoiler:she is about to have them all killed by blowing up the Sept of Baelor where the trial is taking place]]. * LittleMissBadass: Arya Stark.* LittlePeopleAreSurreal: Notably averted with Tyrion Lannister, who just happens to be a little person. Peter Dinklage has noted how he is actually presented as a character in the show and not as his condition.* LivingShadow: Melisandre gives birth to one in "Garden of Bones" to kill [[spoiler:Renly Baratheon]].* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: ''Nineteen'' names in the credits of the first season (and, as mentioned above, Jason Momoa isn't included there for strange reasons), resulting in only two characters appearing in every episode of Season 1 (Joffrey and Cersei) and one in Season 2 (Tyrion). By Season 4, no one makes it into all ten episodes. You can find a guide to help keep them all straight [[Characters/GameOfThrones here]].* LostInTranslation: A lot of official translations fail to recognize the difference between a "wight" (a re-animated corpse) and a "White Walker" (the ice demons who create them). Admittedly, the same applies to many English-speaking viewers since [[AllThereInTheManual it hasn't quite been explained yet]].* TheLostLenore: ** Robert Baratheon's rage and pain over Lyanna Stark still hasn't cooled after 17 years.** Although she is probably alive somewhere, Tyrion's first wife Tysha is still a deep source of grief for him, as Tyrion poignantly indicates whenever she comes up.--> "I ''was'' wed; or don't you remember?"** The way Tywin hold his wife Joanna's DeathByChildbirth against Tyrion and the fact he has not remarried seems to indicate this trope.* LostTechnology: Valyrian steel can be reworked by experts, but no one knows how to make it anymore.* TheLostWoods: ** The vast, primeval forest beyond the Wall is known as the Haunted Forest.** Each castle in the North contains a godswood, a grove of old-growth forest sacred to the old gods.* LotusEaterMachine: The Warlocks of Qarth attempt to lure Daenerys with a vision of [[spoiler:her dead husband and stillborn son]] in "Valar Morgulis". * LovableCoward: ** Samwell Tarly is not much of a fighter but he has a plucky charm and becomes friends with Jon Snow.** Hot Pie is even less of a fighter than Sam but his optimism and cooking skills makes Arya a lifelong friend.* LoveAtFirstSight: Sansa thinks she has this with Joffrey until he turns his sadism on her.* LoveDodecahedron: ** Robert Baratheon was betrothed to Lyanna Stark, who was kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen, who was married to Elia Martell. After everyone else's death, Robert married Cersei Lannister, who was in a secret relationship with her twin brother Jaime.** Lysa Tully married Jon Arryn but loved Petyr Baelish, who loved Catelyn Tully, who married Eddard Stark (but was previously engaged to his older brother, Branden), who has a bastard son by another woman.[[note]][[spoiler:Actually, Eddard was faithful to Catelyn. His "bastard son" Jon Snow is actually his nephew by Ned's sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen, with Jon's true heritage kept secret from everyone so he wouldn't be killed by his real father's enemies.]][[/note]]** Margaery Tyrell marries Renly Baratheon, who is in love with Loras Tyrell while being crushed on by Brienne of Tarth.* LoveMakesYouDumb:** Catelyn frees the Kingslayer behind her son's back in an attempt to get her daughters back.** Robb Stark falls in love with Talisa Maegyr despite his engagement to one of Walder Frey's daughters. His mother warns him what a stupid political move this is, but he marries her anyway. [[HonestAdvisor Lord Karstark]] remarks that Robb lost the ongoing war the day he married Talisa.** Sansa is convinced that Joffrey is a great guy until he [[spoiler:chops off Ned's head]].* LoveMakesYouEvil:** Jaime Lannister pushes a 10-year-old out a window to hide his secret affair, even saying, "The things I do for love..."** Cersei Lannister was, like many women at the close of the rebellion, quite in love with Robert when they married, but years of arguments, inattention, and occassional domestic abuse end in her [[spoiler:plotting her husband's death]].** Petyr Baelish's unrequited love for Catelyn feeds his obsession with achieving power over his social betters.** Maester Aemon warns Jon that love is the one thing that can make a man ignore his duty.** Tyrion remarks that he would kill for Shae and expects he will have to someday.** Elaria Sand ''[[LoveMakesYouCrazy loses it]]'' after [[spoiler:watching Oberyn getting his skull crushed by The Mountain]], changing her from a lovable EthicalSlut to a [[RevengeBeforeReason vengeful]] and [[SanitySlippage crazy]] [[CrusadingWidower Crusading Mistress]] WarHawk against ''[[RevengeByProxy all]]'' the Lannisters.** Somewhere between this and LoveMakesYouDumb, Jorah Mormont explains that he sold poachers into slavery to finance his beloved wife's lavish lifestyle.* LoveRuinsTheRealm: ** By marrying for love, [[spoiler:Robb angers the Freys, who join with the Boltons to kill him and divide his kingdom between them.]]** Lysa Arryn's love for Petyr Baelish led her to [[spoiler:poison Jon Arryn, an act that eventually snowballs into the War of the Five Kings.]]** In the backstory, [[spoiler:the love affair between Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, who conceived Jon Snow]], produced a mass-scale war that killed thousands of people and ended a dynasty.--> '''Petyr Baelish to Sansa Stark''': How many tens of thousands had to die because Rhaegar chose your aunt?* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Loras' shield saves his life when the Mountain attacks him after their joust.* LuredIntoATrap: [[spoiler:Robb and most of his supporters are wiped out when Walder Frey turns their renewed marriage alliance into "The Red Wedding".]]* LysistrataGambit: In a rather atypical same-sex example, Loras not only withholds sex from Renly because he feels slighted by Brienne's RankUp, but punishes him further by sending in Margaery, knowing Renly utterly dreads having to consummate their marriage.[[/folder]]

[[folder:M]]* MachiavelliWasWrong: ** Invoked by Loras when he argues that Renly should be the next king because he would rule through love and respect rather than strength and fear.** Margaery is adored by the smallfolk of King's Landing because of her kindness and generosity towards the poor.* MachoMasochism: ** The Greatjon laughs off a direwolf eating two of his fingers. ** Drogo shows his badassery just before a duel by deliberately cutting himself on his opponent's weapon. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him when the wound gets infected and would have killed him if not for blood magic.]]** During an attack on the Dreadfort, Ramsay enters the kennels covered in cuts and smiling.* MadDoctor: Qyburn was stripped of his maester's chain for experimenting on living men.* MadeOfIncendium: Wights are extremely flammable, even when they're fresh. Jon Snow turns a wight into a walking bonfire in short order by [[BurnTheUndead smacking it with a lit torch]]. * MadLove: Lysa's {{Yandere}} love for Littlefinger makes her easy to manipulate.* MadnessMantra:** Will the ranger mutters, "The White Walkers... I saw the White Walkers..." over and over before his execution.** According to Jaime, the Mad King had been saying, "[[KillItWithFire Burn them all!]]" for hours before his death.** "Reek, Reek, I'm Reek."* TheMagicComesBack: Fantasy elements are gradually introduced into the story, but most characters insist magic is just a story or [[TheMagicGoesAway went away]] long ago. It is also implied that there is a correlation between the return of magic and the return of the dragons and White Walkers.* {{Magitek}}: Many of the feats of engineering seem aided by magic. The Wall is far larger than normal architecture should allow and Valyrian steel is supernaturally sharp.* TheMagnificent:** Any claimant to the Iron Throne lays claim to the following style: X of House Y, the Number of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.** Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, Queen of Meereen, ''Khaleesi'' of Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident:** [[spoiler:Robert Baratheon]] falls victim to a HuntingAccident facilitated by his wife.** Jon Arryn dies of a mysterious fever and it's eventually discussed that he was killed using a rare and untraceable poison known as the Tears of Lys. In a devious touch of misdirection, the perpetrators do want people to suspect that he was murdered [[HeKnowsTooMuch for knowing too much]] about Joffrey's real lineage.** Samwell Tarly joined the Night's Watch because his father threatened to kill him this way.* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: ** Jaime and Cersei are discovered by Bran in Winterfell's derelict First Keep. Of course, with the two of them it's [[{{Twincest}} not just the place that's wrong about the lovemaking]].** Stannis and Melisandre on TheBigBoard table in Stannis' WarRoom, which also makes a bit of a metaphor/ VisualPun.** Jon and Ygritte get it on in a cave complete with a hotspring for a TwoPersonPoolParty.* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: The books were written to avert this trope hard with its large cast and HyperlinkStory. While still an ensemble, the show has generally been reluctant to readily introduce new characters past Season 3, and instead combines and composites characters and situations so that the regular cast is involved. ** Examples include Jaime going to Dorne in Season 5 rather than Ser Arys Oakheart and Ser Balon Swann, and the point of view character Arianne Martell who was the protagonist of that section but ended up being AdaptedOut as well as Sansa taking over Jeyne Poole's role in Book 5.** In the books, it is Stannis who rallies the North, liberates them from the Ironborn remnants, attracts the Glovers, the Mormonts and other houses to his side. [[spoiler:In the show, Stannis suffers DeathByAdaptation and this arc is taken over by Jon Snow and Sansa in Season 6]]. * MaleFrontalNudity: ** PlayedForLaughs in "The Pointy End", when simple-minded Hodor, fresh from his bath, barges in on Osha and Bran talking, leading Osha to comment favorably on [[BiggerIsBetterInBed his size]].** Olyvar leaves nothing to the imagination during his scene with Loras in "The Climb"** There's also the close-up of the member of the Braavos actor portraying Joffrey, covered with a genital wart...* MaleGaze: ** The camera basically becomes Jory's POV during his DistractedByTheSexy moment in "The Wolf and the Lion".** In "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", the camera lingers on Talisa lying naked in bed while Robb {{lampshades}} it by asking how he's supposed to get any work done.* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Sons of the Harpy.* MaliciousSlander: [[HeroWithBadPublicity Tyrion Lannister]] is often on the wrong end of it. Littlefinger claims that the dagger found on Bran's would-be assassin belonged to Tyrion, starting a conflict that eventually snowballs into the War of the Five Kings.* MamaBear:** Cersei's main motivation is to protect her three children. Her brother Tyrion describes this as her only redeeming feature besides her cheekbones.** Catelyn abducts Tyrion on suspicion of trying to murder her son, which provokes a civil war. Later, she releases Jaime Lannister without her son's approval in exchange for her daughters. [[spoiler:During the Red Wedding, she takes Walder Frey's terrified wife hostage in an attempt to save her son.]]** Daenerys has the woman who tricked her into [[spoiler:sacrificing her unborn child to turn her husband into an EmptyShell]] burned alive. Now she's this for her [[spoiler:dragons and freedmen]].* ManOnFire: Several in "Blackwater" when Tyrion pulls his trick with the [[GreekFire wildfire]] and [[spoiler:blows up much of Stannis's fleet]]. It becomes a plot point when noted pyrophobe [[spoiler:Sandor Clegane]] flees the battle after confronting one.* TheManTheyCouldntHang: {{Zigzagged}} with [[spoiler:Beric Dondarrion]], who actually died but was resurrected later.* MaritalRapeLicense:** In "Winter is Coming", Daenerys' [[ArrangedMarriage involuntary wedding]] ends with Khal Drogo exercising his marital privileges in spite of her meek protests. The arrangement gets better for her once she gets some tips on lovemaking from Doreah, allowing her to exercise more power in the bedroom and their relationship.** {{Averted}} in "Second Sons" when Tyrion declares he won't share [[spoiler:Sansa]]'s bed until she wants him to, even if that never happens. This is culturally odd enough that nobody else believes it really happened.** Played horribly straight in "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken," when [[spoiler:Ramsay brutally rapes Sansa.]] * MassiveNumberedSiblings: Oberyn Martell has eight daughters and Walder Frey has ''twenty-nine'' legitimate children by eight wives as well as numerous bastards.* MassOhCrap:** When Ser Barristan Selmy draws his sword at court following his forcible retirement, everyone's laughter instantly turns to terror. It's only when Barristan throws his sword at Joffrey's feet and storms out that everyone starts breathing again.** In "Baelor", the majority of the nobles and councilors attending the [[spoiler:confession of Ned Stark]] suffer one when [[spoiler:Joffrey decides to behead him]], something that wasn't in the plan. Also, you can notice one person who isn't surprised, and who is actually ''smiling'': [[spoiler:Littlefinger]].** When Joffrey mouths off to his DragonInChief grandfather Tywin in "Mhysa", the entire Small Council and even Joffrey himself have their own version of an "Oh Shit!" expression.** When Jon Snow tells the senior leadership of the Night's Watch that they will be facing giants and mammoths everyone goes very quiet and the older members turn visibly pale.** The White Walker attack in the episode "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS5E8Hardhome Hardhome]]" is basically a chain of these for the human characters.** Pretty much the entire Lannister Army at the Battle of Tumbleton in "Spoils of War." Not only are they ambushed and badly outnumbered, they are facing a horrific dragon who is invulnerable to their weaponry and is slaughtering them by the hundreds with absolute impunity.* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Daenerys toward Jorah, though it's important to note Dany is ''not'' doing it on purpose. It's pretty clear to the audience that Jorah is in love with Dany while she considers him more of a father-figure, but Jorah cuts a pretty sympathetic figure when trying to figure out the subtext. For instance, in "Mockingbird", Jorah spots the team PrettyBoy Daario exiting Dany's quarters half-dressed, only for Dany to declare she's sending Daario away and that Jorah's position as her NumberTwo is assured.* MasterPoisoner: ** [[spoiler:Littlefinger]] turns out to be one. Not only does [[spoiler:he work with Olenna Tyrell to have King Joffrey poisoned during a lavish banquet]], it's later revealed that [[spoiler:he had Lysa Arryn poision her husband Jon Arryn, kicking off the War of Five Kings storyline]]. ** "The Children" reveals [[spoiler:Oberyn poisoned his spear with manticore venom.]]** One of Oberyn's bastard daughters, Tyene Sand, is knowledgeable about poisons just like daddy. She poisoned Bronn with her daggers during their fight in the Water Gardens and later, gave him the antidote for it while in prison. In "Mother's Mercy", [[spoiler:she also the one who gave Ellaria the poison to kill Myrcella Baratheon when she left for King's Landing]].* MasterSwordsman: Jaime Lannister, Eddard Stark, Loras Tyrell, and Syrio Forel all display great skill at swordsmanship, while Jaime himself speaks particularly highly of BadassGrandpa Barristan Selmy, calling him a painter who only uses red. The Clegane brothers Sandor and Gregor are also formidable for their combination of skill and brute strength. Brienne of Tarth also shows significant skill, but is generally underestimated because of her sex.* MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: Like the books, Tywin Lannister makes no effort to hide the fact that he blames his dwarf son for his wife's DeathByChildbirth. Cersei also blames Tyrion for their mother's death, and after Tyrion makes a joke about her [[BrotherSisterIncest hidden relationship with Jaime]] she makes an even crueler taunt that Joanna died for his sake, which should be Tyrion's greatest joke. Jaime is in fact Tyrion's only immediate relative who loves him unconditionally.* MathematiciansAnswer:** Shae to Tyrion:-->'''Tyrion:''' [''noticing her foreign accent''] "What sort of accent is that?"-->'''Shae:''' "Foreign."** Jaime to Catelyn:-->'''Jaime:''' "I pushed him out a window."\\'''Catelyn:''' "Why?"\\'''Jaime:''' "I hoped the fall would kill him."* MauveShirt: Poor [[spoiler:Jory, Rakharo, Irri, Alton and Matthos.]]* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane:** Osha warns that the old gods cannot help the Starks in the south because the weirwoods there were all cut down, and as it happens no Stark who goes south has a good time.** Was the red comet in "The North Remembers" an omen or just a coincidence?** Beric Dondarrion's flaming sword breaks during a trial by combat. Did the fire weaken the steel, or did his god judge against him?** Stannis performs a magic ritual cursing his rival kings. [[spoiler:Robb Stark, Joffrey Baratheon, and Balon Greyjoy all die from various means, but it may just be coincidence. Furthermore, Stannis is killed by Brienne, but then the ritual was only meant to curse them, not protect himself.]]* MeaningfulLook: ** Lord Renly Baratheon and Ser Loras Tyrell share a lingering one at the Tourney of the Hand as the viewer's first clue they are more than friends.** When Brienne asks to join Renly's Kingsguard, Loras gives Renly a look that basically reads, "Tell her 'No,'" but Renly disregards it, much to Loras' irritation. ** After Brienne is appointed to his Kingsguard, [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/8196f4796977a6baa70b9ba96b12e121/tumblr_mvzef6GdpK1rg028zo3_500.gif Renly winks at her]] as he applauds to further communicate his warmth and reassurance that he's on her side, regardless of his followers' unfavourable opinion.** When Joffrey summons Loras in "Valar Morghulis," the latter quickly glances at Margaery as if to say, "Do I really have to do this?", and his sister's non-verbal reply is "You have to do your duty."** Another occurs between Margaery and Loras in "Valar Dohaeris" after they witness Cersei and Joffrey's snarky discussion. The Tyrell siblings, who are ThickerThanWater and work as a BrotherSisterTeam, are surprised that mother and son have used veiled insults against each other in front of their future in-laws.** In "Second Sons," Tyrion raises his glass in pity to Loras, and his eyes say, "You're next to get married." Loras, who is already quite frustrated from the day's events, sighs and turns his head away.** Edmure and Roslin's wedding scene consists mostly of meaningful looks. Without anyone saying a word, Catelyn tells Edmure, "Thanks for going through with this;" Edmure says "Score!" when he sees his unexpectedly lovely bride; Walder Frey says "Hah, look what you missed out on!" to Robb; Robb and Talisa exchange "I love you"s; and the Blackfish says "Oh, gods no!" after seeing Walder's other female descendants eyeing him up.** [[spoiler:Fear spreads across Catelyn's face as the band strikes up "The Rains of Castamere." Later, in the same scene, Catelyn looks to Roose Bolton for reassurance and finds only a PsychoticSmirk and an eyes-only hint to look at the chainmail under his clothes, showing he's in on the impending betrayal.]]** After an entire season of SnarkToSnarkCombat, the look between FireForgedFriends Brienne and Jaime in the Season 3 finale "Mhysa" speaks volumes.* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: ** There are multiple blink-and-you'll-miss-it hints in "The Lion and the Rose" that [[spoiler:Olenna Tyrell poisoned Joffrey. First, the necklace Dontos gives to Sansa has seven crystals. However, after Olenna fiddles with the necklace as she talks to Sansa, there are only six crystals. Finally, when Tyrion gives Joffrey his goblet, the camera lingers on Olenna as she watches events unfold.]]** When Joffery decides to [[spoiler:behead Ned Stark]] regardless of his mother and fiancee's requests and the advice of his council members the only person smiling is [[spoiler:Littlefinger]]* MeaningfulName:** In-universe, bastard children with noble blood have special surnames determined by region (Snow, Sand, Rivers, etc) so anyone meeting Jon Snow or Ellaria Sand already know something about their parentage, place of origin, and that they are of noble blood. Bastard children born to common folk have no surnames at all.** The family names Lannister and Stark are thinly veiled references to the War of the Roses, a civil war in England fought between the houses of Lancaster and York.** "Stark" has several meanings, including "rigid," "bare," "harsh," and "strong," all of which apply to the Stark family and the land they rule.** "Tully" derives from the Irish word for flood, an appropriate choice for the overlords of the Riverlands. ** Janos Slynt turns out to be two-faced, like the Roman god Janus.** Lancel Lannister has an affair with the queen, reminiscent of the Arthurian Lancelot.** Brandon Stark, whose name derives from the Welsh word for raven, spends most of his time dreaming of a three-eyed raven.*** [[spoiler:And later ''becomes'' the three-eyed raven.]]* TheMedic: Talisa of Volantis accompanies Robb's army to tend the wounded on both sides. * MedievalPrehistory: Mammoths and direwolves prowl beyond the Wall.* MedievalStasis: Westerosi technology has not improved significantly over at least the last thousand years. In fact, ancient marvels of engineering such as the Wall are implied to be built on LostTechnology, and no one has been able to figure out how to make more Valyrian steel (though experts can rework it).* MegaCorp: The Iron Bank can finance entire kingdoms and are not above taking sides in foreign conflicts to secure their investments.* TheMentor: Several, for most of the younger characters and some of the older ones.** Jon Arryn was this to his wards Robert and Ned.** Ned Stark to sons Robb Stark, Jon Snow, and Bran Stark before their family [[PartyScattering was split apart.]] ** Rodrik Cassel, Jeor Mormont, and Qhorin Halfhand to Jon Snow.** Syrio Forel, Yoren, and the Hound to Arya.** Margaery Tyrell, Cersei Lannister, and Petyr Baelish to Sansa.** Maester Luwin and Jojen to Bran.** Rodrik Cassel and Dagmer Cleftjaw to Theon.* MercyKill:** In a variation, Ned kills the direwolf Lady himself because she deserves better than a butcher.** Daenerys [[VorpalPillow smothers]] [[spoiler:Khal Drogo]] rather than leave him an EmptyShell.** Maester Lewin asks Osha to finish him off when he's been stabbed in the gut.** Sandor Clegane stabs a farmer dying of a gut wound in the heart while Arya looks on. [[spoiler:Later, severely wounded and miles from help, Sandor ''begs'' Arya to kill him as she has long threatened. Instead, Arya robs him and [[CruelMercy leaves him to die slowly]].]]** Later, after entering the House of Black and White, Arya discovers it has a fountain with poisoned water that any person can come and drink from. A man brings his daughter, who is dying from a painful and incurable sickness. Arya tells the girl that the water will cure her, letting her die in a painless way. Many other people also come to the temple for this purpose. ** Joffrey claims that his ordering [[spoiler:Ned Stark's beheading was meant as this in deference to Sansa...he was originally going to have Stark drawn and quartered.]]* MesACrowd: The Warlocks of Qarth seem to consist entirely of duplicates of Pyat Pree.* MetaTwist: HBO gleefully marketed the show as if [[spoiler:Sean Bean]] was the main character, and thus the ''one'' star with ContractualImmortality.* MidSeasonTwist: ** Season 1: [[spoiler:King Robert Baratheon and Viserys Targaryen die, Eddard is arrested]].** Season 2: [[spoiler:Renly is assassinated, Theon captures Winterfell, and Daenerys' dragons are stolen.]]** Season 3: [[spoiler:The Hound captures Arya, Robb decides to attack Casterly Rock, Tyrion is engaged to Sansa.]]** Season 4: [[spoiler:Sansa and Littlefinger arrive at the Eyrie, Daenerys decides to stay in Slaver's Bay, Tyrion demands trial by combat.]]* MightMakesRight: Daenerys enforces her will through annexation by massive force of arms, banning slavery and other unjust practices on the way through the constant threat of violence. * MildlyMilitary: {{Justified}} by the Night's Watch, a combination of a military monastic order and a gulag. Naturally, although fairly disciplined, it doesn't run quite the same as a normal army.* MilesGloriosus: Joffrey Baratheon is a coddled RoyalBrat who likes to pretend he's a WarriorPrince by prancing around in his armour and making vain boasts. No one believes him, but nearly everyone humors him because he's TheCaligula. He later commissions a MonumentOfHumiliationAndDefeat of himself slaying the sigil of his enemies despite having absolutely ''zero'' part in their demise.* AMillionIsAStatistic: {{Discussed}} when characters call others out for heinous actions that might actually prevent greater bloodshed.** While debating whether to assassinate Daenerys, Grand Maester Pycelle questions how many thousand innocents will die in the war that must come if Daenerys invades Westeros.** Tywin notes that [[spoiler:the Red Wedding]] prevented thousands of deaths by ending [[spoiler:the Northern rebellion]] without the [[MoralMyopia friendly losses]] required to kill the same army in battle.** Stannis, Melisandre, and Davos debate whether sacrificing a single innocent to end the war with magic is preferable to the thousands (including civilians) who would die in conventional warfare.* MinoredInAssKicking: Despite being a GuileHero who relies primarily on his wits, Tyrion proves a reasonably competent fighter in the Battle of the Blackwater.* MinorInsultMeltdown: Wildlings refer to everyone south of the Wall as "Southerners," which annoys several Northerners.* MissingMom:** Jon Snow grew up as the illegitimate son of Ned Stark, never knowing who his mother is or if she is even alive. [[spoiler:In season 6, it's revealed that his mother was Ned's sister, Lyanna Stark, who died after giving birth to him and passing her infant son into the care of her brother. Ned claimed his nephew Jon as his own son to protect him from Robert Baratheon as Robert would kill Jon if he knew Jon's true parentage.]] ** Tyrion Lannister's mother [[DeathByChildbirth died giving birth]] to him, causing his father and sister to resent him.** Similar to Tyrion, Daenerys was raised by her brother because her mother died giving birth to her.* MissingStepsPlan: In Season 5, Littlefinger convinces Sansa to go along with marrying [[spoiler:Ramsay Bolton]] in the interest of avenging her family. The question of how her marrying the son of the man who murdered [[spoiler:her mother and brother]] and thereby helping to legitimize the [[TheUsurper usurpation]] of her family will get her the revenge she wants is neither raised nor answered in-universe. Thus: Step 1. Marry [[spoiler:Ramsay]], Step 2. ???, Step 3. Profit!* MistakenFromBehind: In an episode Arya is shown looking for her friend [[HitmanWithAHeart Jaqen]] among the Lannister soldiers at Harrenhal, so that she can request that he assassinate someone for her. Jaqen has [[MulticoloredHair red hair with some black and white streaks in front]], and Arya initially grabs the wrong person, a random Lannister with red hair that he wore at the same length as Jaqen.* TheMistress: ** Loras becomes the same-sex male version of this trope after Renly marries Margaery.** Shae after Tyrion marries [[spoiler:Sansa]].** Melisandre for Stannis, though they only have sex once to spawn the LivingShadow that kills [[spoiler:Renly]].* MockMillionaire:** [[spoiler:Xaro Xhoan Daxos, whose conspicuous treasure vault is completely empty,]] has cunningly leveraged his fictional fortune into a lavish lifestyle and political power.** "First of His Name" reveals that [[spoiler:the Lannisters' gold mines ran dry several years ago]], leaving them in a very precarious position without their main source of income.* MomentKiller: In "What Is Dead May Never Die", Renly unexpectedly kills the mood by kissing the bruises on Loras' chest, reminding him of the humiliation he suffered earlier in the day. * MoneyIsNotPower: A theme of the TV series (moreso than the books):** When Baelish doubts Ned Stark for antagonizing the Lannisters because gold, not soldiers, is what wins wars, Ned retorts that how come Robert is king and not Tywin Lannister then. Ned is proven wrong in that the Lannisters and the Tyrells are major powers thanks to their gold and resources, and the support and loans from the Iron Bank can bring a nearly defeated contender (Stannis) BackFromTheBrink.** Ned, however, is also right in that neither the Lannisters or Tyrells can ''openly'' rule even after defeating their opponents, because they still need the appearance of legitimacy, i.e. a King named Baratheon who is descended from the Rebel King who won the Iron Throne. The Lannisters who are wealthy and have a reputation for "paying debts" also suffer the consequences of Bad PR and poor heirs since the Iron Bank have faith in Tywin Lannister, the Hand of the King, but have none whatsoever in any of his descendants, while Stannis can count on relative youth and dependability.** Peter Baelish who is an embodiment of nascent CorruptCorporateExecutive is also seen as a "money grubber" by the High Lords of Westeros and ultimately [[spoiler:the word of a teenage daughter of a High Lord counts for more than that of a longtime successful finance minister]].** Jaime gets a lesson in this from Locke, [[BribeBackfire who is enraged by Jaime's arrogant attempts to buy him off with promises of gold]]. To prove the point, [[spoiler:Locke cuts his hand off]].* MonumentOfHumiliationAndDefeat:** The Iron Throne was forged from the swords of men who surrendered to Aegon the Conqueror.** The statue of Joffrey killing [[spoiler:a direwolf]] in the gardens of King's Landing also underlines his MilesGloriosus personality.* MoodWhiplash:** Jory's humorous DistractedByTheSexy moment in the brothel is immediately followed by a violent ambush [[spoiler:resulting in his death.]]** This sometimes happens when switching between different plot threads. Arya training with Syrio? Cool, and even a little funny, but the next scene is Dany eating a horse's heart.** In "Baelor," a humorous drinking game turns into the tragic story of Tyrion's first marriage.** In "Walk of Punishment", Jaime believes he has successfully bribed Locke, who orders his shackles removed and offers him some partridge. [[spoiler:Moments later Jaime is screaming as his hand is chopped off]], immediately followed by a bawdy punk cover of "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" played over the credits.** [[spoiler:Theon's torture]] starts with a sudden, comically timed blowing of a horn.** In "The Rains of Castamere," [[spoiler:Edmure and Roslin's wedding]] is full of funny and heartwarming scenes with a light and happy atmoshpere until the eponymous song begins playing.* MoodyMount: Ser Loras Tyrell [[ExploitedTrope exploits]] this trope to win a joust by riding a mare in heat against Ser Gregor Clegane's bad tempered stallion.* MoralityKitchenSink: Or rather, white and black plus a thousand shades of grey. Between Ned Stark on the one hand and Ramsay on the other, every one of the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters has his own unique shade of grey.* MoralMyopia: In one conversation, Davos advocates hiring sellswords like the Golden Company to bolster Stannis's numbers. Stannis, who is dealing with BloodMagic in his attempt to become King of the Seven Kingdoms, for some reason finds this objectionable even though it's the only way that he can bolster his ranks.* MoralityPet: ** Brienne for Jaime. ** Sansa and later Arya for Sandor Clegane.* MortonsFork: King Robert explains how a Dothraki invasion would put him in a Morton's Fork. If he faces the Dothraki horsemen in open battle, he'll be defeated. If he barricades himself in his castles, the Dothraki will rape and pillage the countryside so badly that he'll lose his kingdom anyway. * TheMourningAfter: Robert Baratheon has never gotten over the loss of his betrothed, Lyanna Stark.* MrExposition: ** In the first season, Jorah Mormont exists mainly to inform Daenerys (and the viewer) about the Dothraki and the setting. Fully aware of this, the producers even refer to him jokingly as "Jorah the Explorer."** Peytr Baelish is also a big vehicle for exposition.* MrFanservice: There's pretty much some male for just about every taste in this show.** Olyvar rarely keeps his clothes on through an entire scene.** Khal Drogo's [[WalkingShirtlessScene choice of attire]], [[RatedMForManly extreme manliness]], and (for some fans) GuyLiner make him a common female fan favorite.* MrSmith: Noble-born bastard children are given special surnames based on region such as "Snow" for the North and "Sand" for Dorne.* MsFanservice:** Ros the gorgeous prostitute, played by burlesque performer Esme Bianco, didn't have a single scene in Season 1 where she kept all her clothes on. From Season 2 on she serves as Littlefinger's aide, and thus wears more clothes, but remains a major source of fanservice.** Daenerys' wardrobe is especially revealing in the first few episodes of the series.** Margaery Tyrell specializes in this. * MusclesAreMeaningless: Loras is considered one of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms, yet his shirtless scene shows that he's slender and not particularly muscular. Since this reputation was earned in peace time, it likely stems mostly from his prowess at tourney jousting.* MutilationConga: [[spoiler:Lord Beric Dondarrion]] bears the scars of all the fatal injuries he was resurrected from, including a [[EyepatchOfPower missing eye]] and [[TheManTheyCouldntHang the mark of a hangman's noose]].* TheMutiny: A bunch of hungry, pissed-off Night's Watchmen rebel in "And Now His Watch Is Ended", with violent results.* MyBelovedSmother: ** Lysa Arryn keeps her son Robin with her in a small mountain-top fortress, caters to his every whim, and breastfeeds him until he's at least ''six''.** The Battle of Blackwater worsens for the Lannisters because Cersei recalls Joffrey to the Red Keep despite him being in little danger.* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: ** Theon has one [[spoiler:as his invasion of Winterfell becomes a complete disaster and then later admits the Starks were more of a family to him than the Greyjoys ever were.]]** Tyrion has one in "Spoils of War." When he watches thousands of Lannister bannermen slaughtered, he's obviously upset. After all, it was Cersei he was out to get, and these men were his countrymen, and probably several of them were under his command not so long ago at The Battle of Blackwater.* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Jaime Lannister is widely despised as an [[TheOathbreaker oathbreaker]] for ''not'' following this trope.* MyNaymeIs: Random "y"s are particularly rampant, though vowels, especially "a" and "e", and the occasional "j" get abused too.** Many of the character's names are very similar to modern names, such as Eddard, Robb, Joffrey, Petyr, Jaime, Margaery, and Alliser. ** Knights are titled "''ser''" rather than the traditional English "sir."* MythologyGag:** In "Valar Dohaeris," Cersei says it was rumored Tyrion's nose had been cut off in the Battle of the Blackwater, referencing the books, where Tyrion really did [[TheNoseless lose his nose]].** In "A Man Without Honor," Jaime asks Alton if his mother is "the fat one," a reference to Jaime's very fat aunt Genna, a minor character in the books who, incidentally, is the mother of the character Alton more or less replaces in the show.** During the Battle of the Wall, a wildling archer attempts to shoot an arrow to the top of the Wall and doesn't even come close. Then a giant steps up and shoots a ballista-sized arrow from a giant-sized bow, sending a ranger atop the Wall and [[BlownAcrossTheRoom flying]]. This is a reference to a passage in the books where wildling archers manage a few hits on the brothers 700 feet up, which GRRM has admitted he didn't realize was [[WritersHaveNoSenseOfScale physically impossible]].** In "The Children" [[spoiler:Brienne]] bites Sandor's ear off, a reference to Sandor's burned-off ear in the books.[[/folder]]

[[folder:N]]* NamedWeapons:** House Stark's ancestral greatsword is called "Ice."** Jon Snow receives House Mormont's ancestral bastard sword "Longclaw." ** In "The North Remebers," Melisandre stages a ritual in which Stannis retrieves a burning sword that she proclaims is the mythical sword "Lightbringer."** As part of his MilesGloriosus personality, Joffrey gives his swords names like "Hearteater" and "Widow's Wail".** Brienne of Tarth names her Valyrian steel sword "Oathkeeper," referencing the oath she and Jaime swore to return Catelyn Stark's daughters to their home.** Arya names her rapier "Needle" as an ironic jab at her distaste for [[AcceptableFeminineGoalsAndTraits girly pursuits]] like needlework.** Arya recounts that Visenya Targaryen, sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror, had a sword called "Dark Sister."** The Hound disapproves of this practice.--> '''Arya:''' Lots of people name their swords!\\'''The Hound:''' Lots of cunts.* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Characters with nicknames like the Hound, the Mountain, the Kingslayer, and the Young Wolf make this a staple of the series. Nearly all of them live up to the names.* TheNecromancer:** The White Walkers reanimate those they kill as undead wights.** Thoros of Myr has resurrected [[spoiler:Beric Dondarrion]] six times, although he sees it as a HealingHands type power.* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: At Winterfell, Theon Greyjoy and his force of twenty men are about to do battle against a force of five-hundred. He gives them a RousingSpeech about how their deaths will be glorious and the battle will live in history [[spoiler:only to get clubbed in the back of the head by Dagmer Cleftjaw. Who leads the rest of the men in deserting, taking Theon with them to hand over to the enemy in exchange for a pardon.]]* {{Nephewism}}: [[spoiler:Ned Stark]] raised and loved his nephew [[spoiler:Jon Snow]] as his own son since his parents died [[spoiler:and posed him as his illegitimate child to protect Jon, potentially the legitimate heir of a formerly ruling dynasty, from the current king, Robert Baratheon, who wanted all members of the aforementioned dynasty dead.]]* NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight: ** Harren the Black (the founder of Harrenhal) should have known better than to spend decades building the world's largest castle when his neighbors had ''[[KillItWithFire dragons]]''.** Pyat Pree though he could keep [[spoiler:Daenerys and her dragons]] chained up for eternity. [[KillItWithFire Bad idea]].* NeverHeardThatOneBefore: Salladhor Saan relates [[BringMyBrownPants a certain joke]] to a couple of prostitutes, who beat him to the punchline. Davos asks them if there's any pirate in Braavos who ''hasn't'' told that one.* NeverSayThatAgain: Tyrion and Tywin on using the word "whore" to describe Shae. [[spoiler:Tyrion keeps his word]].* NeverLiveItDown: Several examples in-universe:** Jaime Lannister is derogatorily known as "[[TheOathbreaker Kingslayer]]" for his BodyguardBetrayal, even by people who knew said king was insane and whose successful rebellion forced Jaime into that position. Jaime has struggled with ThenLetMeBeEvil ever since.** Catelyn never quite forgives or forgets Ned bringing home his infant illegitimate son. ** The Lannisters [[spoiler:and perhaps the Boltons]] are careful to officially distance themselves from the Red Wedding, since they know such a blatant violation of SacredHospitality will stain them for generations.--> '''Tyrion:''' Oh, I know. [[spoiler:Walder Frey]] gets all the credit... or the blame, I suppose, depending on your alliegence.* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Margaery tries to invoke this trope when Joffrey demands to know why she didn't [[spoiler:provide an heir to Renly while they were married]]. It doesn't work because Joffrey considers him to be a traitor undeserving of any respect even after death. Margaery then does her best to answer her betrothed's question without being too brusque about [[spoiler:Renly's sexuality]]. * NeverTrustATrailer: The second trailer teases Jon speaking to someone, saying that their families fought together for centuries despite their differences; because the narration is laid over scenes of Dragonstone and Dany's dragons in flight, the viewer assumes that this is a speech to Dany, leading to the ire or confusion of book fans who found no such evidence for a Targaryen/Stark alliance and chalked it up to the writers playing with the lore. In the show, Jon is speaking instead to a Karstark and an Umber, which makes his statement accurate.* NewsTravelsFast: Varies depending on characters' proximity to each other and [[InstantMessengerPigeon messenger ravens]], and generally {{handwaved}} by an implied DashedPlotLine.** News of [[spoiler:Ned Stark's death]] spreads across Westeros over the course of the next episode, with characters in the North, the Riverlands, and at the Wall reacting to it.** Justified when Stannis Baratheon publishes the illegitimacy of Cersei's children ''very'' widely and it catches by WordOfMouth. By Season 4, it's spread across the Narrow Sea to Braavos and Meereen.** Since Daenerys has been living with the nomadic Dothraki and wandering the Red Waste, she learns Westeros has plunged into a SuccessionCrisis only after arriving at the port of Qarth. Later, when she's settled in the major port at Meereen, she receives news much faster.** Arya and the Hound spend most of Season 4 out of the loop as they cross the Riverlands, hiding out as fugitives, and learn far later than the other cast, that Joffrey is dead. ** Played straight in Season 6, where in the first two episodes, implied to take place mere days after Stannis' defeat at Winterfell, news of his downfall and defeat spreads far and wide, all the way to the Iron Islands.* NiceGuy:** Renly is one of the few characters who treats Brienne with respect and kindness. He even accepts her into his Kingsguard despite knowing it will cause a scandal with his bannermen, his wife, and his lover, perhaps because he knows the sting of not adhering to defined gender roles.** Davos stands out as a down-to-earth, morally-upstanding man able to relate amiably to nearly everyone from king to commoner.** Brienne of Tarth can be surly at times but she is also loyal, honourable, and compassionate.** Barristan Selmy is famed in-universe as a paragon of knighthood and proves polite enough to give an accused spy a heads-up before informing his queen.** Samwell Tarly never so much as raises his voice to another character until he ''really'' wants Pyp to open the ''[[PrecisionFStrike fucking]]'' gate in "Watchers on the Wall," which Pyp immediately {{lampshades}}.--> '''Pyp:''' "I never heard you curse before."** Gendry who despite growing up as the lowest of the low in Flea's Bottom is introduced scaring off bullies, looks after Arya throughout their journey and wants to join the Brotherhood to defend innocent smallfolk.** The Starks start out as a family of caring, honorable [[{{NiceGuy}} nice guys and girls]] [[note]] between them they've got Ned TheParagon, Catelyn the MamaBear, Robb TheGoodKing, Jon with ChronicHeroSyndrome, Sansa the TheIngenue, Anya who is NiceToTheWaiter, Bran the BigGood and Rickon a case of ChildrenAreInnocent [[/note]] but the relentless injustices and trials they suffer hardens the remaining members up. * NiceJobBreakingItHero:** Congratulations, Sansa! [[spoiler:Lying to the king and queen about Joffrey got your own direwolf killed!]]** Congratulations, Ned! [[spoiler:Ignoring Littlefinger and Renly's advice has led to Cersei and Joffrey ruling, your guards all being killed, and you being arrested and eventually killed!]]** Congratulations, Catelyn! *** [[spoiler:Capturing Tyrion Lannister has compromised the safety of your husband and daughters in the capital, and caused his father to unleash Gregor Clegane on the lands of your own family!]]*** [[spoiler:Releasing Jaime Lannister has undermined your son's authority, enraged his bannermen and deprived your side of an extremely valuable hostage with nothing in return.]]** Congratulations, Robert! [[spoiler:Sending assassins after Daenerys managed to piss off Drogo enough that he changed his mind about not invading Westeros!]]** Kudos, Daenerys! [[spoiler:Saving a wise woman from rape and then asking her to save the life of your husband has led to said husband winding up as an EmptyShell and your son to be stillborn.]]** Good job, Mirri! [[spoiler:Destroying everything of value to the naive queen you sought revenge against has made her more cunning and dangerous than her deceased husband or stillborn son could ever have been. Bonus points for teaching her that mercy is for the weak, giving her a crash course in blood magic, and providing the means for her to hatch three dragons.]]** Congratulations, Robb! *** [[spoiler:Sending Theon home in an attempt to gain military support resulted in the exact thing your father prevented by ''keeping'' Theon as a hostage in the first place, and now you have to fight a war on two fronts!]]*** [[spoiler:Breaking a sacred vow that you will marry the daughter of an important ally (who allowed your army to cross his territory in addition to providing you with several thousand troops) will likely get you tagged as an [[TheOathbreaker oathbreaker]], not to mention harming your military position and giving the notoriously prickly and treacherous head of the family a good excuse to betray you.]]*** Executing [[spoiler:Lord Karstark]] despite all counsel lost you the support of his soldiers, forcing you to turn to [[spoiler:the infamously untrustworthy Freys whom you already pissed off by breaking a marriage pact!]]** Kudos, Loras!*** By inciting Renly to make a bid for the throne you [[spoiler:made a civil war worse and got your lover killed.]]*** By telling Olyvar about your secret betrothal, the information is passed to the Lannisters, who move to block your family's plan.** Jaime lies about Brienne's family wealth to prevent Locke from raping her, but later Locke refuses to ransom her because he expects more.* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: Congrats Joffrey! [[spoiler:By killing all of Robert's bastards you've confirmed in the eyes of many that you know they had a better claim to the throne than you ''and'' given your enemies the rallying cry "The [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating Queen]] kills babies!" If Tyrion wanted to slap you before, imagine how he thinks of you now.]]* NiceToTheWaiter: ** In "What Is Dead May Never Die", Renly shows concern for the common soldiers in his army, making the effort to remember their names and keep track of their problems.** Right after chiding his [[SurroundedByIdiots underlings]], Lord Tywin treats his cupbearer Arya with a surprising amount of respect and warmth. Combined with some exposition of his backstory, their interactions effectively show Tywin's [[PetTheDog more humane side]]. [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Then he leaves her behind with Gregor Clegane]].* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: [[spoiler:Ramsay Snow]], whose appetite for torture seems to know no bounds.* NightOfTheLivingMooks: The White Walkers are amassing a massive undead army beyond the Wall and send one against the Fist of the First Men in "Valar Morghulis" and a much larger one against the wildlings in "Hardhome".* TheNightThatNeverEnds:** [[ArcWords Winter is coming]], and with it the days grow shorter. There is an in-universe FairyTale of a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Long Night]] that lasted a generation the last time the [[HumanoidAbomination White Walkers]] invaded Westeros.** Stannis mentions it by name in "Second Sons" when discussing Melisandre's prophecies with Davos.* NippleAndDimed: It's beginning to look like most of the adult actresses have clauses in their contracts that require them to appear at least partially, if not fully, nude at least once.* NobleFugitive:** Viserys and Daenerys are the last scions of their deposed dynasty and are served by the exiled lord Jorah Mormont [[spoiler:and later by the exiled knight Ser Barristan Selmy]].** Later, the surviving [[spoiler:Starks]] and [[spoiler:Tyrion Lannister]].* NoDeadBodyPoops: Robert discusses this one when he's reminiscing on old war experiences and how everything gets romanticized.-->'''Robert:''' You never hear about how [the slain] all shit themselves. They don't put that part in the songs.* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: ** Daenerys believes this of Mirri Maz Duur's betrayal until Mirri points out that Daenerys' beloved husband was the cause of all her woes in the first place.** Jaime Lannister intercedes to prevent Brienne from getting raped, is spite of dueling with her just hours before. This compounds his captors' enmity, leading them to [[spoiler:chop off his hand]].* NoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Robb Stark]] is shot with crossbows, stabbed in the heart, and decapitated.* NoNameGiven: ** The Spice King insists his name is too long and hard for foreigners to pronounce, perhaps because he is a CanonForeigner.* NonIndicativeName: The ArtifactTitle "Seven Kingdoms" originally refered to the seven independent nations of Westeros that existed before Aegon's Conquest: The North, the Mountain and Vale, the Isles and Rivers, the Rock, the Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne. Following the Conquest, the Riverlands and Crownlands were separated from the Iron Islands and Stormlands respectively and Dorne was only added two centuries later, creating one kingdom with nine provinces.* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: Ser Alliser Thorne tells Jon and Sam that he and some others were reduced to cannibalism when stranded beyond the Wall the previous winter.* NoPeriodsPeriod:** Averted in "Winter is Coming." The ''second'' thing Cersei ever says to Sansa is the question, "Have you bled yet?"** Later, in "A Man Without Honor," Sansa has a CatapultNightmare of being stabbed brought on by the cramps of her first period. Realizing her period means she can now be married to Joffrey, she panics and tries to hide the evidence.* NoSell: ** While watching Arya practice her swordplay, the Hound scoffs at her delicate, graceful maneuvers, asking her what she's doing. When she proclaims that she was taught by a master swordsman, the Hound provokes her until she attempts to stab him in the chest, and then doesn't even flinch when the thin blade of her smallsword bounces off of his armor.** Monster Gregor watches a member of the faith militant swing a spiked cudgel into his breastplate with no reaction, then performs a NeckLift. * NonIndicativeName: The Dothraki Sea is not even remotely a large body of salt water. Rather, it is an area of rolling grassy plains, so named for its immense size and how easy it is to get lost in there.* NonSpecificallyForeign: Shae, played by Turkish-German actress Creator/SibelKekilli, playfully refuses to tell Tyrion where she's from, but Cersei pegs her as Lorathi, perhaps because Jaqen H'ghar (who claims to be from Lorath) is played by fellow German actor Tom Wlaschiha. * NoodleIncident:** Tyrion's list of "confessions" in "A Golden Crown" is cut off before he can describe an escapade involving bringing [[NoodleImplements a jackass and a honeycomb]] into a brothel.--> '''Robin Arryn''': What happened next? ** What Podrick did with/to the prostitutes that they liked so much they refused to accept payment. This one borders on RunningGag in Season 4.** When Tyrion is drinking with Bronn, the latter admits his first kill was a woman when he was a child. When he gets frowned at, the only background given to justify it is that she swung an axe at him. * NorthIsColdSouthIsHot: The farther north you go in Westeros, the colder it gets, progressive from the southernmost deserts of Dorne to the arctic glaciers beyond the Wall in the north.* NostalgiaFilter: King Robert likes to muse about the good old days, before he was king. You know, when the entire country was either ruled by an insane dictator or in a state of civil war. His younger brother Renly does not hesitate to call him out on this.* NotSoDifferent:** Tyrion muses that the difference between the people of the Seven Kingdoms and the wildlings is that when the Wall was built, their ancestors just happened to be on the right side.** Ned insists in "The Wolf and the Lion" that assassinating Daenerys will make them no better than the Mad King they overthrew.** Maester Luwin asks Theon if he should really be mocking Osha for her situation in Winterfell, because "a prisoner and a guest" describes his situation almost exactly.** Maester Aemon reveals to Jon Snow that he knows all about the pain and devastation Jon is feeling of being torn between duty and love for family as Jon is deeply worried over his father and sisters after hearing of his father's arrest in King's Landing and wants to help them by joining his brother Robb to get them back. Master Aemon, even as a blind old man, chafed at remaining on the Wall while his entire family, even the little children, were overthrown and slaughtered. Bonus points for identifying with Jon despite Jon being the [[HeroicBastard bastard son]] of Ned Stark, who helped overthrow the dynasty (but was adamantly against the killing of the children.)** Tywin telling a disguised Arya how much she reminds him of his daughter. Surely [[SarcasmMode Arya was thrilled]].** The Hound claims that Bronn is a BloodKnight much like himself. The jury's still out on how much either of them actually qualifies.** Tyrion remarks that Robb Stark has a "certain belligerence" and thinks his father would like him. As a young man, Tywin himself raised an army and successfully led it against the enemies of his house. ** Tyrion's final words to [[spoiler:the father he has just fatally wounded: "I am your son. I have always been your son."]]* NotSoExtinct: People from Westeros and Essos believe that the ice-demonic White Walkers and fire-breathing dragons are creatures only found in tales and songs from the past. People are proven wrong by the end of Season 1.* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: Jamie tried to use this on Bran in "Winter is Coming". It didn't work.* TheNothingAfterDeath: ** According to [[spoiler:Beric]], the "other side" is just darkness. ** {{Discussed}} when Arya and Sandor come across a dying farmer. Wondering why he doesn't kill himself to end the pain, Arya says "Nothing could be worse than this." The farmer replies that maybe nothing ''is'' worse than this. Arya argues it couldn't be, based on nothing being well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself nothing]].'' In the end, [[MercyKill Sandor kills him]].* NudityEqualsHonesty: The Boltons invoke this trope by their infamous secondary motto: "A naked man has a few secrets; a [[FlayedAlive flayed man]], none."* NumberTwo: The office of Hand of the King could be considered this, but depending on where the individual who holds the title falls on the morality scale, or where their king falls for that matter, this could also be TheDragon.--> '''Jaime''': "What's the line? 'The King shits, and the Hand wipes.'" [[note]]The books put it much more nicely, with the phrase "What the King dreams, the Hand builds".[[/note]][[/folder]]

[[folder:O]]* TheOathbreaker: ** Deserters from the Night's Watch are summarily executed as oathbreakers.** Jaime Lannister is widely reviled for killing the king he swore to protect, and provides the page quote.** In "Two Swords," Jon Snow must defend himself from accusations of oathbreaking for his unplanned stint as TheMole among the wildlings.** Ramsay does it constantly. At Moat Cailin and at Winterfell, he kills men who surrendered after he promised them safe conduct home. In the books Roose points out that Ramsay is known as an oathbreaker, meaning their enemies will now fight to the death rather than surrender to them.* ObfuscatingDisability: Grand Maester Pycelle's hidden spryness and sharpness of mind, despite his age and apparent senility. One [[http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/08/15/great-deleted-scene-from-game-of-thrones-season-3/ deleted scene with Tywin]] makes it particularly explicit.* ObligatoryJoke: Anything related to Tyrion's height.** Bronn's advice for surviving his first battle. "Stay low."** Pycelle's snarking after Tyrion's been deposed as Hand of the King. --->"These quarters are smaller than you're used to. But you don't take up much room, do you?"** Littlefinger's advice on becoming Master of Coin. "Keep a low profile."--->'''Tyrion''': [[IfIHadANickel If I had a gold dragon]] for every time I heard ''that'' joke, [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore I'd be richer than you are]].\\'''Littlefinger''': You ''are'' richer than I am.\\'''Tyrion''': (''beat'') Good point.* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Take your pick.** Arya's scenes in Harrenhal before Tywin arrives. ** The hanged women Jaime and Brienne find in "Valar Morghulis."** Locke's torture and abuse of Jaime and Brienne.** The murders of Willem and Martyn Lannister in "Kissed By Fire."* ObliviousAdoption: [[spoiler:Jon]] hasn't the slightest idea of that he was adopted by [[spoiler:his maternal uncle, Ned Stark, whom he believes to be his biological father. Jon's biological parents are actually the deceased Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, who have been dead for all of his life. As Lyanna knew she was dying, she manages to pass her infant son (Jon) into the care of her brother, Ned, and [[DyingWish asks him to protect her son]] from Robert Baratheon before she dies. Ned brings Jon home with him, raises and loves Jon as his own son alongside his other children, and [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold spends the rest of his life protecting his sister's son]] by hiding Jon's biological parentage by claiming Jon as his own illegitimate son since the current-reigning regime, the Baratheons, would kill Jon if they ever found out he was the hidden son of Rhaegar Targyaren and Lyanna Stark.]]* OccultBlueEyes: The eyes of the wights and White Walkers. The wight from "Winter is Coming" even provides the page image.* OddFriendship: Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow, Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion and Bronn's odd friendship has received [[http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/is_game_of_thrones_considering.html the buddy comedy treatment]].* OddlySmallOrganization: The "Warlocks of Qarth" apparently consist entirely of a single guy: Pyat Pree.* OffhandBackhand: Jaime [[spoiler:shoves Bran out the window]] with a sudden but casual shove while not bothering to look at him.* OffingTheOffspring:** Old Nan tells a story about women smothering their babies rather than see them starve during a winter that lasted a generation.** Tyrion suspects his father is putting him in the [[UriahGambit vanguard of a battle]] to invoke this, and Tywin is not particularly excited to see him alive afterward.** Tyrion remarks to Jon Snow that if he had been born a peasant he might have been left in the woods to die. In "Mhysa," Tywin confesses he considered it, but changed his mind becaue Tyrion was still a Lannister.** Craster sacrifices his baby sons to the White Walkers. [[spoiler:Subverted in that the Walkers don't kill them, they turn the babies into White Walkers as well.]]* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome:** In "Baelor," two major battles occur, but only the aftermaths are shown. First Tyrion gets knocked unconscious by the rush of clansmen following a RousingSpeech and only wakes up after the battle, then Robb is shown returning triumphant from battle with Jaime Lannister as his prisoner.** The sack of Yunkai happens almost completely offscreen. Dany's three champions fight off an initial wave of guards, then report back that they've fomented a slave uprising. Later, [[spoiler:the sack of Meereen]] only shows a single master getting swarmed by angry slaves in a narrow alley.** In "No One," Brynden Tully stages a one-man last stand against Lannister soldiers, and Arya fights a Faceless Man assassin in the dark with Needle. Both fights are performed off-screen.* OffWithHisHead:** Ned Stark has an enormous greatsword called Ice made of [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Valyrian steel]] that he uses for beheadings, as he does a Night's Watch deserter in "Winter is Coming." [[spoiler:In "Baelor," he himself is beheaded with his own sword.]]** In "The Old Gods and the New," Theon beheads a man using an ordinary longsword and [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath botches it]], eventually kicking the head off. Proof if proof were needed that Theon is no Ned Stark.** In "Kissed By Fire," Robb beheads [[spoiler:Lord Rickard Karstark]] for treason in a scene with obvious parallels to Theon's, but Robb takes the head off clean.* OhCrap: Has [[OhCrap/GameOfThrones its own page]].* OldMaster: Ser Barristan Selmy.* OldRetainer: Ser Rodrik Cassel and Maester Luwin to the Starks.* OldSoldier: Qhorin Halfhand, Jeor Mormont, and Rodrik Cassel.* OlderThanTheyLook: [[spoiler:In the season 6 premier, the young and beautiful Melisandre is revealed to be an old crone who hides her appearance with her magical ruby choker]].* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Maesters wear a chain with each link representing mastery of a different field of study, and they are expected to earn as many as possible.* OneDoseFitsAll: The poison "Essence of Nightshade". It's not seen being used, but Pycelle (the setting's equivalent of an apothecary) claims one drop is a powerful sleeping agent while ten is fatal, which ignores the body mass of the victim.* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Stannis talks to Shireen about having to make a difficult choice and needing her help. She assumes that he needs a pep-talk and supports him, but he tells her that she has no idea what he's actually talking about. [[spoiler:He's apologizing for his intent to sacrifice her to R'hllor]].* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Normally justified, as the relatively small size of the noble class in Westeros means most families will have met or at least heard of each other. ** Played straight with Arya's experiences wandering among the much more populous small folk - out of all the people she could have bonded with between Kings Landing and Winterfell, her [[{{TrueCompanions}} closest/only friend]] is naturally the son of her ''Dad's'' best friend. (On other occasions she ends up serving her family's ArchEnemy, travelling with her sister's former protector and hanging out her mother's knight).** Tyrion Lannister is the only main character (as of Season 6) to have visited almost every theater of action in Westeros (North, The Wall, Riverlands, King's Landing, Meereen) and met the largest pool of characters (Jon Snow, Ser Alliser, Maester Aemon, Jeor Mormont, Robb Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Bran Stark, Catelyn Stark, Lysa Tully, the Royal Court of King's Landing, Sansa Stark, Oberyn Martell, Ellaria Sand, the Tyrell family, Jorah Mormont) and he's the first major political figure in Westeros to personally visit and pay court to Daenerys Targaryen. This becomes relevant in the plot when Tyrion breaks the news of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's passing to his son Jorah, and when [[spoiler:Theon and Yara Greyjoy visit Meereen at the end of S6, and he dresses down Theon by bringing up their one and only meeting in Season 1]].* OneSteveLimit:** Robert Arryn is named Robin (after a nickname from the books) to avoid confusion with King Robert Baratheon.** Asha Greyjoy is named Yara to avoid confusion with Osha the wildling.** {{Averted}} with the White Walkers and their zombie minions, the wights since "white" and "wight" are homophones.** Averted with the Freys. One of the two descendents Lord Walder Frey sends to arrange Edmure and Roslin's marriage is known as Black Walder to differentiate him.* TheOneThatGotAway: Lyanna for Robert and Catelyn for Littlefinger.* OnlyAFleshWound: The series generally averts the trope, but some primary characters do seem to be MadeOfIron.** When Ned gets speared in the leg in "The Wolf and the Lion," he's unconcious for a long period between episodes and weak for several episodes after, requiring a cane to get around.** When Khal Drogo [[MachoMasochism allows himself to be cut]] by an uppity tribesman, Daenerys and Mirri Maz Duur agree the wound must be washed and sewn. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it festers anyway—possibly due to Mirri's sabotage—and by the next episode he's dying of blood poisoning.]]** Tyrion loses consciousness after being wounded in the face during "Blackwater."** PlayedStraight when Jon Snow recovers from ''three'' serious arrow wounds between "Mhysa" and "Two Swords" before wildlings who shot him can even make their next move. In "Watchers on the Wall," Jon also survives having his head smashed on an anvil hard enough to kill anyone not MadeOfIron.* OnlyFriend: "Friend" might be stretching it a bit, but Davos is the only man Stannis trusts and respects completely.* OnlyInItForTheMoney:** Bronn makes this clear to Tyrion. When his services earn him a [[FieldPromotion knighthood]], he insists on a higher wage. [[spoiler:Eventually, Bronn accepts money and an advantageous marriage to not stand champion for Tyrion in a TrialByCombat, a deal Tyrion cannot match.]]** Littlefinger points out that the gold cloaks will support whoever pays their salary.* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Hot Pie and the Tickler.* OnlySaneEmployee: This seems to be the purpose of the office of Hand of the King.** Robert {{lampshades}} it when conferring the title on Eddard:-->'''Robert:''' "I'm not trying to honour you, I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink, and whore my way [[{{Foreshadowing}} to an early grave!]]"** Tywin Lannister's first term as Hand was the most peaceful and prosperous period in recent history, which says something considering Aerys later became known as "The Mad King."** Davos Seaworth is this for Stannis' faction, caught between his inflexibly righteous boss and his religiously fanatical co-advisor.* OnlySaneMan:** Renly feels he is this, and as of "You Win or You Die", he might be right.** Tyrion has hints of this on his trip to the Eyrie.** Varys has shades of this as well. When asked by Ned who he truly serves, he simply says "The realm, Lord Stark. Someone must."** At several points early in her relationship with Khal Drogo and the Dothraki, and with her brother becoming more insane by the day, Daenerys gives the impression she feels this way, until her friendship with Jorah solidifies.* OohMeAccentsSlipping: ** Some of the actors' natural accents do slip through, such as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's native Danish, Richard Madden's Scottish accent and Michelle Fairley's Northern Irish accent. American Peter Dinklage's English accent is not totally correct, but is at least consistent.** In "The Door", Euron Greyjoy (played by Danish actor Creator/PilouAsbaek) gives a rallying speech as to why he should be named the new leader of the Iron Islands, during which Asbæk's sing-songy Danish accent comes through multiple times.* OopNorth: Winterfell and the Starks are Northern, and the accents of the actors involved reflect this, especially textbook Yorkshireman Sean Bean as Ned. Bean's contract specified that he be allowed to use his native accent for the role. Conversely, those associated with the Lannisters and/or the South tend to speak with [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents RP (BBC English)]]. The Northeners' general opinion of the South is broadly similar to cultural stereotypes between the South of England and the North.* OpenSecret: ** Joffrey being born out of incest. As of "A Man Without Honour" in the second season, even Jaime and Cersei have given up denying it.** Renly and Loras seem to have done a poor job trying to conceal their illicit romance. Even two lowborn Lannister soldiers on the other side of the country have heard the rumors.* OrderVersusChaos: Personified in the philosophies of Varys and Littlefinger, respectively. Varys works for the good of the realm, and because of his powerless upbringing understands exactly what happens to the weak when there is no order or realm to protect them. Littlefinger, on the other hand, rebels against a system that would relegate him to a life as an irrelevant hedge lord, and sees chaos as a way to ensure his rise to power.--> '''Varys''': But what do we have left once we abandon the lie [of order]? Chaos. A gaping pit waiting to swallow us all.--> '''Littlefinger''': Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ''ladder.''* OrphanedEtymology: The consistent use of the term "pillow-biter" to refer to gay men (usually contemptuously). This is a real term in modern British slang meaning just what it's used to mean, but it dates from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorpe_affair 1979 sodomy trial]] of former [[UsefulNotes/BritishPoliticalSystem Liberal Party]] leader [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Thorpe Jeremy Thorpe]] (specifically deriving from his accuser Norman Scott's testimony that he "bit the pillow" when Thorpe penetrated him). Needless to say, neither Jeremy Thorpe nor his trial existed or occurred in Westeros.* OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: The Seven Gods consist of a male trinity ([[TheThreeFacesOfAdam Father, Warrior, Smith]]), a female trinity ([[TheHecateSisters Mother, Maiden, Crone]]), and the Stranger ([[GrimReaper Death]]) who is neither. * OurDragonsAreDifferent: Dragons are fire-breathing, egglaying wyverns with batlike forelimb wings who exhibit high animal intelligence and a strong link to magic (though the cause-effect relationship is still unclear). Given enough food and space they grow continuously with most able to carry human riders and some large enough to "swallow a horse whole." They also possess a strong imprinting instinct and eat only cooked meat.* OurElvesAreBetter: The Children of the Forest are a race of short forest-dwellers with magical powers who have been slowly pushed out of Westeros by humans. [[spoiler:Bran encounters one in "The Children."]]* OurGiantsAreBigger: They are about twice the height of a grown man and look like humans with a low brow and oversized thick legs to make them SquareCubeLaw compliant.* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Although wolves are common, wargs can take control of all kinds of animals, such Orell's eagle and a Thenn who can control an owl. [[spoiler:Bran even wargs into Hodor on occassion.]]* OurWightsAreDifferent: The corpses reanimated by the White Walkers have blue eyes and can only be killed by fire.* OutOfTheInferno: Daenerys [[spoiler:emerges unburnt from a funeral pyre with three baby dragons]]. In a later episode, she emerges from [[spoiler:a burning building in Vaes Dothrak, having just killed all the khals inside]].* OvertookTheManga: Due to the stories not being told in exactly the same order, the show has managed to reveal some plot elements that haven't made it into the books yet. George knows [[ScheduleSlip he's not the fastest writer on the planet]], so he's given the producers the planned ending so they can tell the story properly even if he hasn't finished the series on his end.* OvershadowedByAwesome: Cersei Lannister proves a competent schemer in her own right by facilitating [[spoiler:her husband]]'s death and ingratiating herself to her opponent's judges.[[note]]Mace Tyrell via Margaery, Tywin unsuccesssfully, and Oberyn directly.[[/note]] Unfortunately, she happens to be sister to {{Chessmaster}} Tyrion, twin to MasterSwordsman Jaime, and daughter to DragonInChief warlord Tywin. Even her own son Joffrey overshadows her in-universe by completely resisting any of her attempts to be the [[ManBehindTheMan power behind the throne]].[[/folder]]----